Turkish police raid Gulen-affiliated Koza Ipek firms again

ISTANBUL, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Turkey's Koza Ipek Holding,
linked to a U.S.-based cleric accused of plotting against
President Tayyip Erdogan, was raided again on Wednesday by
police seeking financial documents, a company official and
documents said.

A Turkish court issued the second search warrant this
month, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.

It showed that the Ankara-based company's units - Koza Altin
and Koza Anadolu Metal - are being
investigated on suspicion of "terror financing," "terror
propaganda" and other crimes related to Chairman Hamdi Akin
Ipek's alleged support for Fethullah Gulen, the Islamic preacher
who was once an ally of Erdogan.

Erdogan has accused Gulen, now in self-imposed exile in
Pennsylvania, of operating a "parallel structure" of supporters
in the judiciary, police, media and other institutions that has
operated against him. Gulen denies the charge.

Police are seeking balance sheets from Koza Altin, a gold
firm, and miner Koza Anadolu Metal, according to the warrant.

Erdogan's simmering dispute with Gulen rocked Turkey in
December 2013 when Erdogan was prime minister. Police leaked
details of a corruption probe into Erdogan's family and cabinet
ministers.

Since then, he has labeled Gulen's following a "terrorist"
organisation and has re-assigned thousands of members of the
judiciary and police and sought to dismantle schools the
movement runs.

"Since all of the information and documents were taken
during the execution of the (first) search warrant, the search
and seizure carried out today are without aim and legal basis,"
Koza Ipek said in a statement.

"It is an effort to undermine the company's image and force
a publicly traded company into loss. For more than a week, it
has been unable to operate," Erhan Basyurt, editor in chief of
Bugun newspaper, which belongs to Koza Ipek, told Reuters.

Shares in group companies, which plunged after the initial
raids, shrugged off the latest police searches. Gold company
Koza Altin's shares were up 1 percent and miner Koza Anadolu
Metal was unchanged.
(Reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley; Editing by Toby Chopra)